The Hills Were Alive With the Sound of Students

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This past weekend we visited the Austrian Alps, about an hour and a half outside of Vienna. We spent two nights in the Schwarzwaldeckhaus, an old hiker’s hotel that now belongs to the Churches of Christ in Austria and Germany. It sits on top of a mountain, and when we arrived (on Friday) it was completely shrouded in fog. As we hiked to the top we passed through several meadows, and we kept track of cows by listening to their bells!
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Schwarzwaldeckhaus in the mist.
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Unfortunately, the fog didn’t clear until Saturday afternoon, but we found the Haus to be a cozy and enjoyable place. Barbara spent a lot of time (including her birthday) in the kitchen, and she used a wood-burning stove. We had electricity, but we didn’t have hot water, and we definitely didn’t have any television or Internet!
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There are scarcely any level places on the mountain – the descents were treacherous and the ascents were exhausting. Keith and the girls did lots of hiking, and they definitely got a workout. Barbara had fewer chances to explore, but she joined the action on Saturday evening. It was especially enjoyable when the fog disappeared and we were able to see the panorama!

Barbara, Keith, and Caroline take a rest on the edge of a cliff.

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Sunday morning was clear, and the view was stunning. We held a communion service on the south porch, and the singing was absolutely beautiful. Several hikers came by, and they stopped to listen – before too long, though, Keith stood up and started talking, and the hikers decided to leave.

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A look out our kitchen window (photo by Caroline)

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Our group was tired (and slightly smelly) by the time we left, but it was a remarkable weekend, and it was truly a “retreat!”

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Living with Deutsch

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In the late 1300s, under the supervision of John Wyclif, the Bible was translated into English. If you actually read Wyclif’s translation, however . . . you might not think it is English at all! Look, for instance, at his rendition of Romans 8:28:
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And we witen, that to men `that louen God, alle thingis worchen togidere in to good, to hem that aftir purpos ben clepid seyntis.
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At times, the Wyclif Bible looks more German than English, and that is because the two languages are closely related. Here in Vienna (or Wien, as they call it), the linguistic kinship is obvious: Freund means “friend,” Mutter means “mother,” and Bus means “bus.” A person who lives in Wien, predictably, is known as a Wiener.
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As we travel around Wien, however, the words can sound pretty strange. Keith has tried to resurrect his rusty German skills, and he can actually translate a few of the signs that we see – for the most part, though, we are just muddling through.

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For instance:
• We bought some conditioning solution for formstabile sauerstoffdurchlässige contact lenses, but we don’t exactly know what that means.
• Some words (like Kirche) require a throat-clearing sound that we are unable to properly imitate. And . . .
• We are continually discovering new manifestations of fahrt.

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Best of all, we are discovering the beauty of compound words. We use them in English, of course, but nobody does it better than German-speaking people! For example: in English we have “words,” we have “books,” and we even have “wordbooks.” We do not, however, have a match for Großwörtbucher, which basically means “bigwordbook.” These compounds can look imposing, but they make the language precise and direct, and they can be fun to decipher. Can any of you translate the words below?
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We are having a little contest here in the Schloss, to see who can find the longest compound word. Keith recently discovered Fahrtreppenbenutzungshinweise (29 letters), and that is the current standard. We hope to show you the grand-prize winner, when the semester ends . . .

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Our Students

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Here is the whole group, before we left Oklahoma.
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It is an extraordinary privilege to travel around Europe, and it is wonderful to be based in Vienna. It has been a great experience already, for all five Hueys! Nonetheless, our days are very full, and we have been pretty tired – beyond the thrill of traveling, GEO is a full-fledged and demanding academic experience.
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It has been more than some of us anticipated!
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Our forty-eight students have been overwhelmed, at times, and their needs are sometimes overwhelming for their four sponsors, as well. We have classes to prepare, assignments to grade, field trips to arrange, and problems to solve. And we sometimes wonder . . .
• What should we do, when we see a student who doesn’t quite fit with the others?
• How do we help, when a student has trouble with her credit card?
• What can we do, when a student continually “forgets” or “misinterprets” the rules?
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There are lots of challenging situations. Nonetheless . . . our students have been a significant part of the blessing, here. It is particularly enjoyable to sit and talk with them, and to learn about their backgrounds. One, Ben Peterson, comes from Austin – Keith just happens to know Ben’s father, Jeff, who teaches New Testament at the Austin Graduate School. Another, Jacob Hawkins, comes from Cabot, Arkansas, and knows the family of Keith’s sister, Beth. We have enjoyed their energy, their humor, and their insights. It is also amazing to see them tackling Europe: they get train schedules, they find hostels, they try to communicate.
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A few of our students, on the steps of St. Paul's in London.
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Were we so confident, when we were 19 years old?
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The Schloss

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It is nice to be in Vienna, and to be settled into our rooms. We have been able to get some rest, and we have enjoyed several brief explorations into the city. We are staying in the Schloss Neuwaldegg, a 311-year-old mansion on the west side of town. "Schloss" means "Castle," and it is definitely a grand place -- it is probably our most successful marketing icon, when we try to get students to participate in the European Studies program. If you want to know about its history and its current use, you should visit their website at http://www.schlossneuwaldegg.at/en/index.php.
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Way back on August 26, we posted a view of the Schloss from the front. Above, you can see an old drawing -- also from the front. Here, now, are some other perspectives . . .

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At left, our office (notice the "007"); at right, a view into the dining hall.
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Allyson was thrilled to discover the Schloss piano! The acoustics are quite good, and she has a pretty nice view to her left.

A view of Allyson, and of the front yard. Aside from the hedges, there are numerous baroque sculptures, and we don't have to mow! These gardens, we are told, originally stretched for miles.

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Here is a view of Caroline and Annika in the back yard, which leads into the Vienna Woods.

As you can see, we have a wonderful place to call "home" for awhile! In spite of these accommodations, however, we haven't forgotten any of you, and we will be happy to return to 201 Navajo -- in just a few months.

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Whirlwind Tour of London

Greetings from Vienna! We are getting settled into the "Schloss," and we have already seen a lot of the city. First, though -- here is a summary of our time in London.

Keith and Caroline (and Shreds), in front of the Tate Modern

On Sunday morning we gathered in the TV room at our hostel, and we had a devotional communion service. From there, we visited the Tower of London, saw a blur from the opening stage of the Tour of Britain (a cycling race), went to St. Paul's Cathedral for an Evensong service, and toured the Tate Modern art museum.

Keith’s Top Three Favorite Things About Evensong
• The music and the architecture provided a perfect sense of majesty.
• The homily was first-rate – delivered by Dr. Simon Oliver of the University of Wales.
• The readings and the songs were taken from texts that we seldom visit – an attempt to use the entire Bible.

On Monday, we visited Westminster Abbey and we returned to St. Paul's Cathedral. The tours are more tiring, remarkably, when you are keeping track of 48 college students! At St. Paul's, we all climbed all the steps to the top of the dome -- Keith did this also, and he felt really good (though he is still trying to be very, very careful).
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Monday evening, we went to see Les Miserables at the Queen's Theatre. It was absolutely outstanding, and we wouldn't mind seeing it again! On Tuesday, we went to the British Library and the British Museum. Keith was thrilled to see the Codex Sinaiticus, and Barbara was thrilled to see the Rosetta Stone and the Elgin Marbles. It was quite enjoyable to snap pictures in the Museum -- we were surprised that it wasn't prohibited!

An ancient artifact in the British Museum -- notice the resemblance to Keith

On Wednesday, we went to the National Gallery and we ran through Kensington Gardens before we headed for Heathrow. A lot to see, in just a short time!

Keith and the girls on the east side of Kensington Palace

In the next post, we will try to introduce you to our lodgings at the Schloss Neuwaldegg. Stay tuned . . .

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A Hard Day's Night

We will try to post pictures later, but for now we just want to confirm: after all the tearful farewells at Oklahoma Christian . . . after the drive to DFW . . . after the long flight to London . . . we kept ourselves moving for the rest of the day, and we are ready for a good night of sleep!
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Keith didn't particularly enjoy the long flight, but that is pretty typical. His back did not give him any exceptional difficulties, and he felt strong throughout the day. We are thrilled with our accommodations at the hostel, and we have really enjoyed this group of students.
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Tomorrow morning we will hopefully be done with the jet lag . . . and ready to go!
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Oklahoma was OK

We have had a great week in Oklahoma, and now we are ready to go. Tomorrow we will take a bus to the DFW airport, and we will fly nonstop to London. We have a full itinerary there, beginning with a two-hour walking tour -- designed to keep us awake!
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Our students seem anxious to be on their way. We have had a full week of orientation and last-minute preparations. Keith has had a few tired moments, but he has been able to rest a lot and he is feeling quite comfortable. The travel agent thinks that she might be able to get him an upgraded seat on the plane -- we'll see about that! We have been duly impressed with the Office of International Programs here at OC, especially Mendy Kooi. As sponsors, we have a LOT of work to do this fall, and it's a pretty daunting prospect. The OIP, however, has definitely made our job easier.
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We also had a chance to visit the Murrah Building memorial here in Oklahoma City -- a very moving site. Caroline got some great pictures with her new camera, like the one below.

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Our next post will hopefully be from London! We will be staying in a hostel there, and we are uncertain about our Internet options.

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